What about me? It isn’t fair
I’ve had enough, now I want my share
Can’t you see, I want to live
But you just take more than you give
Garry Frost and Frances Swan
On the night President-elect Trump was elected, I wrote a post about the David Austin rose, Sharifa Asma. It took all my strength not to comment on the outcome of the election because, along with many, many people, I was devastated. But, I reasoned, this blog is about food and gardens. A safe haven from political comment.
But then I read Francesca’s post and Cecilia’s post and Sawsan’s post and I thought, “Why not?”
I come from a different perspective to each of those posts. My questions are, “How did it come to this?” and “How can a populist politician become President of the United States?” Whether we like it or not, Hitler started out as a populist politician in a time of economic hardship for the German people and Hitler, too, chose to blame scapegoats for the German people’s economic hardships. It’s a winning strategy.
Every one of us is wise in retrospect. All the commentators are telling us that it is, in part, the white working class male who catapulted Trump to one of the most powerful positions in the world.
Why?
From an Australian perspective, Clive Palmer, to a lesser degree, was the Australian equivalent of Donald Trump but our system of democracy is such that you cannot get to be the Prime Minister just because you have a lot of money. You have to join a political party and your colleagues have to vote for you. Although I sometimes cringe at the choices our politicians make, I am so glad that we, at least, have that security blanket. Luckily for us, Clive Palmer has disappeared from the political scene. If we had the same system as the States, he may very well have made it to the top.
Think about it… both men are very rich yet some how convinced the working class man that he was on their side. But really, the only side Clive Palmer and Donald Trump are on is their own.
I heard a news reporter ask President-elect Trump whether he went too far with his campaign rhetoric and his response to the effect, “I won”. From this response, I presume it was all about winning for him rather than what he was saying. It didn’t matter that his rhetoric was divisive and that he isolated a decent percentage of the American population. It didn’t matter that poor, disenfranchised people trusted him. It was all about Donald Trump.
So why did Donald Trump win the Presidential election or, more generally, why are populist politicians all the rage, even in Australia? Everyone is blaming the white working class man but, I say:
You and I helped. We are the ones who bought those cheap imported goods without turning our minds to the fact that local factory after local factory was closing down and many employees had little chance of getting new jobs. Now, all the local factories have closed down. OK, Australia was luckier than most. We had the “mining boom” but a lot of countries didn’t, and the mining boom is, officially, over.
Ages ago, when there was a choice between locally made or imported clothes, we happily bought the cheaper imports and now we moan that there are no Australian brands left. There would be if we had resisted the temptation to buy the cheaper alternatives.
And we buy fruit and vegetables from large supermarkets when those vegetables are picked by vulnerable illegal foreign workers who are used and abused by the system. And we buy cheap chicken which is reared inhumanely and, again, packed by people who aren’t getting a decent wage.
And when the right wing politicians demonised the unions, we didn’t stand up for the unions and argue that it was the unions who earned us the pay and the conditions of work we enjoy today. Now unions are weak and many, many Australians can only get casual contract work not full time permanent jobs and what do we do? We wonder how it happened.
And those unionists who were greedy and bullied co-workers and stole from their members: they are also to blame because it was their bad behaviour that allowed right wing politicians to argue that unionists are corrupt and have to be stopped.
And Left politics has to take its share of the blame, too. The white working class man started the Labor Party in Australia but it seems embarrassed about the association. Embarrassed to admit it is the unions who support it. Rather, the Labor Party prefers to court people like me, well educated and middle class.
And Hillary Clinton must take her fair share of blame, too. She called the Trump supporters “Deplorables”, when she should have been trying to understand the plight of the people who were so desperate they believed Mr Trump. No wonder the Deplorables took the badge and wore it with pride, much as the homosexual movement took the word “Queer”. Already Australian populist politicians are calling their supporters the “Deplorables” and rallying them.
Who represents those people who have lost their jobs because the mine, the timber mill, the factory or the abattoir they used to work in has closed down? Who represents those on social security, the disabled, the displaced, the refugees? Certainly not populist politicians like Trump and his ilk but, at least, they are pretending to. When you are clutching at straws, someone who asks for your vote, someone who says they care, someone who says they hear you, is better than some one who calls you “deplorable”.
Australia is a rich country and most here have a good standard of living but that is not the case in many Western Countries – countries our politicians are so keen to emulate. It is not possible to turn back the clock but, maybe, it is time to stop trying to improve our already ridiculously high standard of living. A standard of living that we have achieved at the expense of the poor, the vulnerable and the environment. Maybe it is time to stop trying to avoid paying our taxes but feel good about the fact that our taxes are providing services and support to those who need it.
And, surely, it’s time for mainstream Left politics to stop and listen, and then educate. To convince their supporters that their plight is not the fault of others whose only crime is be different from them. People who, more likely than not, are equally, or in most cases more, vulnerable.
Passion Fruit Garden 
As an American, I’m so sorry we let the rest of the world down. I felt it after George W. Bush’s election, and it’s so much worse now. Many of us tried so hard. Those of us here in the diverse, progressive state of California were so sure that Clinton would win. We were certain that the conservatives were on their heels, fighting a rearguard action against demographics. We didn’t see where their desperation would take them; we didn’t realize they would sacrifice their ostensible principles and even their country in order to win. And because we couldn’t imagine doing such a thing, we were unprepared.
And Trump won. Every day brings a new news story, a new — and often ludicrous — horror.
But we’re not done. We’re marching, we’re protesting, and we’re still fighting. Wish us luck.
Yesterday, I watched the Obama Farewell/Final or Legacy Speech direct from Chicago.
Again, I was impressed by the straightforwardness of the man, the integrity and the sheer honesty apparent, and, while he referred to and clearly referenced the achievements of his 8 years in Government, he did this without grandstanding and/or ridiculous rhetoric. He relied upon evidence and he stated things for how they are.
Towards the end of the speech, all of these things and many more had once again crystallised for me, striking me in such direct contrast to the current situation going and into the future, and also with examples of past presidents. I felt compelled to try to contribute to the struggle by recognising a little of this, in a very small way, as one of my FB posts. So, I took a screen shot of Barack Obama speaking and wrote:
“He’s a good man… plain and simple… most unlike the aspirant we now have to this important office.” and “In his speech, he made the very significant and accurate point of the responsibility of the people for their elected officials.
If people don’t take due care, become informed and involved, and act with wisdom then the people bear a large part of the responsibility for those that become their leaders and the determiners of their quality of life.”
In the end, it is all about the quantum – enough of the people, enough of the time must stand up for the principles that truly defend and protect us all.
These are serious times, autumnashbough. Thank you for what you wrote.
We are at some kind of crossroad, not just in America but across the world. Certainly, in Australia we are facing some of our most significant battles for good and fairness and reasonableness. The haters are pulling out all stops these days. Good luck to America and good luck to us all.
That is an excellent FB post. Many of us watched Obama’s farewell address last night, bawled, and yelled at our significant others: “I need more tissues!” Or maybe that was just me.
I still wake up and cannot fathom how our country went from such a dignified, smart, principled, eloquent President to…an narcissistic orange con man.
“…we risk becoming the best informed society that has ever died of ignorance.” – Ruben Blades
👍🏾 🍃🍂
Hi Autumn, I find a Trump presidency too horrible even to think about it. When he comes on the TV I have to leave the room and I am half way around the world. I can’t imagine what progressive Americans are feeling. I worry for the world. Keep protesting, keep marching, keep fighting. We are behind you. Your protests show us that not all American think like he does. And we need to believe that.
Diane responded in words far better than I ever could, Glenda, and I agree wholeheartedly with her husband. This is far from over.
John, We feel so concerned here in Australia I can only imagine how half the US population feels.
I read this when it came out but have been caught up with life. It’s your blog Glenda and you can write about what you darn well choose. You’re right about hardly anything being made in Australia. It’s the price we pay for good minimum wages and benefits but it is a high price. I am more than happy to pay for locally made goods but realise that I am on a good income and the lure of cheap Chinese goods is too strong for most. As for Trump… they have gotten what they deserve in some respects and I am furious at all the people who didn’t vote. Mind you, this election has a huge impact on the entire world, not just the US. I will be going to Texas and Mexico next year so it will be interesting to see the prevailing sentiment, a few months after Trump is installed.
Hi Fi. I think what I was trying to say is we have got what we deserve. I think it is a world wide problem of which politician need to take note. It worries me that we are on the brink of WWIII.
Well folks, this is Thanksgiving Day in America. Although I am thankful for many things – family and friends in particular, the unfortunate election has thrown a shadow of fear over many in the country (actually worldwide). I just thought I would share this link to update you that the fight isn’t over. This may not lead to a change in results just as the push to get the electoral college to overturn their votes is unlikely, but at least it’s another avenue to investigate. Peace to you all.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jill-stein-election-recount_us_5835e45be4b09b6055fffc64
Happy Thanksgiving Diane. We don’t celebrate the day in Australia but I know it is very important your way so, have a great day. All the very best to your husband, daughter and son-in-law.
I’ll vote for you Glenda! There is so much thought provoking reading here and there were also some interesting articles in the Inquirer section of the Weekend Australian over the last couple of weekends. It makes me wonder about the nature of democracy and just what exactly is a democratic outcome – especially if almost half of the population don’t bother to vote. I agree with you that to be a politician you have to develop a thick skin. I supported my husband decades ago when he stood as a Liberal candidate in our strongly held Labor seat. It was an eye opener and very interesting as well as exhausting and expensive. When my husband was heckled I wanted to push my sleeves up, locate the heckler and “rip his bloody arms off” – Aunty Jack style – all five feet of me! My Dad was a strong unionist in England and a shop steward in his work place. He encouraged me to always join a union, however, later in my life I had an up close and eye bulging encounter over quite a period of time with the BLF (CFMEU) and I developed a quite different view over just where their interests lay – it was about power. I listen to our politicians and – no matter what party they are with – they all seem to be fixated on staying on top of the greasy pole and knocking the opposition off it – Their aim is to stay in power. In their efforts to hang on they all seem to have lost touch with reality. As for buying Australian, I always try to do that, but we also do things like, for instance, buy rice from Pakistan because I think if more foreign aid dollars went to such countries their lives and thus the outcome for the world would improve. If nothing else, Trump’s election has given us all much to reflect on and discuss, respectfully. I don’t subscribe to any particular God or Religion but I do like something I read in the Quaker “Advices and Queries” which is “Think it possible you may be mistaken” and so I always talk as well as listen with that in the back of my mind – it also leaves me open to hope for a better view of the world than I would otherwise have. I am, however of the ilk that likes to say “God Bless” because nothing else in our language offers such meaning – so God Bless, Glenda and thank you for such an interesting post.
Hi Jan, Yes those unionists have a lot to answer for, mainly because their greed was the downfall of the union movement. I do not get hung up about it, though. I don’t think greed and a grab for power is exclusive to the union movement. It is everywhere (property developers who are strong supporters of the Liberal Party come to mind) and anyway, I’m guessing, the workers who had been downtrodden for so long liked the taste of power.
The main reason why I like to buy everyday food stuffs grown and manufactured in Australia is because I worry that, come another war, we will not have the infrastructure and facilities to feed our selves. If you look at labels, so much of our food, even if grown or, in the case of seafood reared, in Australia, is packed in Asia.
My other concern is the people who are packing and manufacturing our food are not getting a decent wage. Supermarkets immorally want cheaper and cheaper stock and the ones suffering are the growers and workers. Just look at the joke over milk in Australia. Woolworths and Coles demanded farmers sell it to them for less than it was costing the farmer to produce it and the consumer thinks it is great. No it is not. It is not sustainable. Milk costs more than $1.00 a litre.
I will add, I buy plenty of foreign gourmet food and most items we buy are “Made in China”. That is the way of the world these days. I do wonder though, whether globalisation was in the best interests of the people. Sure everything is cheap now but do we need to buy all these cheap things? I can remember when Christmas decorations were expensive and now we can buy 5 or 6 glass balls for $2.00. Are we better off? And if you take into consideration a decent wage for those workers and the cost to the environment, should those glass balls cost the same as they did before globalisation?
Glenda, to make all Australians and Americans feel a little better – you could be South African! Our current government is 100% corrupt and running our beautiful country into the ground – it is quite an embarrassment! I am not a racists but as a white South African, we are outnumbered beyond compare! We make up roughly 8% while black people around 80% with all the other ethnicity’s the balance and sadly a lot of our black people are uneducated and are lied to and threatened to vote for the corrupt party. They also receive government grants and continue to have babies because with each child comes another grant – sadly they don’t do the sums to realise the grant doesn’t even cover nappies for a month let alone anything else! Anyhoo!
I am still astounded though how Trump won!
Have a beautiful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Mandy, there is greed and corruption everywhere. Dare I say it, “It is the way of the world.” They don’t learn from mistakes nor do they realise if it ends up in another WW they will loose all the wealth they stealthily stashed away.
Exactly Glenda! Here’s to a positive and healthy change the world over! I am ever optimistic – foolishly so, I hope not. xo
From Brexit to Trump, there has been so much venemous writing everywhere along the lines of how could “they” do this when actually Glenda, you are right in that we all share the blame for a huge variety of reasons. We need to build our communities back up from the base where people respect and interact with their neighbours.
A very thought provoking post.
Yes Anne, we do all share the blame for so many reasons. Let us just hope American can survive this. I do worry it is deja vu Germany 1933.
Speechless really. (Thought provoking post, Glenda).
Scary too
Great post Glenda. I see our communities becoming obsessively self interested. Empathy and respect for our neighbours has been swallowed up greed and capitalism. As a whole we have stopped thinking about the consequences of our actions, as a race we are short sighted, we have short memories and we have short term views. We need leaders who can make tough decisions, who can stand up to lobby groups, not pop idols
Oh Sandra, all around me all I hear is self interest rhetoric. How did we become so selfish? Why are people so concerned out their own little patch that they would rather see millions of people perish than to share it?
Your post is eloquently written. It summarises my sentiments exactly although my writing skills don’t match yours. I follow your blog and find it inspirational. I live in Bunbury. Thank you Kaye
On Monday, 21 November 2016, Passion Fruit Garden wrote:
> Glenda posted: “What about me? It isn’t fair I’ve had enough, now I want > my share Can’t you see, I want to live But you just take more than you give > Garry Frost and Frances Swan On the night President-elect Trump was > elected, I wrote a post about the David Austin ro” >
Hi Kaye, I am sure there is a more eloquent way to say “we need to get off our arse and do something and stop thinking of ourselves” but I couldn’t think of it.
🙂
Oh Glenda, I’ve been thinking all day about how to reply to you. I can tell you that I’ve gotten very little sleep since this mess of an election. I can honestly say that 2016 has to go down as one of the suckiest years of my lifetime.
I’m very impressed with your understanding of our crazy politics and think you’ve really been on top of things because you’ve hit the nail on the head as far as a lot of the reasons why a disgusting, ignorant, unqualified, egomaniac pig is going to be the President of this country. Plenty of fault on both sides as far as the candidates although my personal feeling as to Hillary’s comment regarding ‘deplorables’ was to try to back Trump into a corner to disavow the white supremacists and rednecks who were his biggest fans. I don’t think that was a slip on her part.
I’ll admit that I became a political junky trying to read as much as I could, good & bad on both sides. Frankly the Clinton family I believe has been targeted for decades by the right wing politicians who knew full well that Hillary would probably make a run for President at some point. American politics has become known since George W. Bush with the puppet master, Karl Rove as nothing but dirty tricks. This has been the playbook for years and unfortunately the media has played right into that. It’s all about sensationalism & ratings for them. I sat through hours of the most boring tv watching Hillary testify before the Benghazi committee & at the end thought – wow, there is a level headed, cool, calm kick ass person who can handle anything. Frankly I thought she locked up the job after that. But somehow, every day my FB feed would be filled with fake stories about Benghazi. I unfriended casual acquaintances because I couldn’t stand my news feed getting clogged up with such amazing headlines as Hillary “killing” 4 Americans, leaving them to die & it was all her fault…never mind the day someone forwarded me the story about the unknown ‘black’ alien (as in spaceship) child that Bill & Hillary finally acknowledged. I kid you not.
Anyway, every day the news headlines featured yet another outrageous comment from Trump. He played them like a fiddle because he got millions of dollars of free press by doing it & cranked up a base of very dissatisfied, angry people. He had no policy positions, just slogans & sound bites. If a reporter tried to pin him down on how he was going to do what he was promising he was the most adept at diverting the question to go on a rant about something totally unrelated. And THEY let him get away with it. He would just say something even more offensive and then they’d go off on that tangent & he’d get away with never having to admit that he has no basic concept of the Constitution or laws of this country or any other international law. And WE let him get away with it. Nothing stuck to this guy. You’d think his ‘grab ’em by the pussy comment would have done it’ as it would have sunk anybody sane…nope. He insulted everybody who was not a white male. And WE LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT.
The scariest thing is he is going to be President BUT he also has a far right House and Senate AND will get to appoint a Supreme Court Justice who will overturn every right that women and LGBT people have gained.
I worked with a woman from Australia and we used to have very interesting conversations about our governments. As I understand it, you elect a party which represents ideas & proposals so that you don’t tend to get the gridlock that we’ve had here due to the right blocking everything President Obama has tried to do. People got fed up with nothing getting done & that I think is the prime reason for Trump winning (and please keep in mind that he won the electoral college votes not the popular vote – Hillary is over a million & half ahead of him in popular votes but we’ve got this electoral college that’s supposed to ‘protect’ us.
Now chances are at some point he is going to do something to warrant being impeached because he is that ignorant – but do we want that because the next guy in line is as scary if not scarier than this maniac.
ah, Glenda…I’m so sorry I look & see that I’ve taken over your blog & written a blog of my own. I should be ashamed of myself because I’ve neglected mine but frankly I got so caught up in this election that I honestly couldn’t focus on food & write a positive upbeat blog so I dropped out for a bit. I guess all I can say is I’m ashamed of what has happened & yes, I really do think that we could be looking at some very terrifying this happening in the world because there is a maniac driving this bus and no backup controls.
Oh Diane, I feel for you. We live half way around the world and we feel the rug has been pulled from under our feet so how must you feel? I guess it is up the American people now not to let happen to them what happened to Germany. Are they brave enough? I hope so. You would know better than me. From my perspective, and I may be wrong, the way I see it is, the American people (I use that in a general sense) are more concerned about their individual freedom they forget what is best for society. I know your country is the “Land of the Free” but free for whom? In Australia, we had one mass killings and automatic weapons were banned and recalled. People handed in their weapons, not because they wanted to, but because it was better for our society. We all contribute to a healthcare system so health care is free for all and people don’t complain that they are paying for the poor’s health they accept that. I think it is time we all stopped thinking about me, me, me and started thinking about our street, our town, our country our earth. xxx
There have been protests all across the country – thankfully most have been peaceful but because of a couple of minor incidents, there is actually a congressman who is now trying to pass legislation to levy severe penalties for the “offense” of protesting.
Although my health prevents me from joining my sister in law, she will be one of the more than 1 million women marching on Washington DC on the day of the inauguration. My heart is with them.
The protests will not make much difference BUT there is strong opposition to Trump from many, including thankfully some very influential people with REAL money…I say real because I do not believe that Trump is worth what he says he’s worth because he’s living on credit. These are people with money who yes, have been influencing politics for a long time but certainly will not be willing to lose all they have when this fool sends us into trade wars & recession.
I was hoping that the press would get some guts & start doing their job but woke up to this news item which ‘leaked’ after Trump called all the major press to his glorious gold Tower…
http://occupydemocrats.com/2016/11/22/trump-just-threatened-media-off-record-leaked-everything/
Threatening the press to write favorably about him could either backfire or cause us to lose our voice in which case we may be needing to have those outside the country help report for us.
The people who voted for Trump are already getting a big surprise with him backtracking on his stupid promises that no reasonable person would have believed (most were illegal & unconstitutional). If he puts in the changes he has promised they are going to be hurt the most – yes, they are the ones very dependent on the social programs that he wants to trash. Yet, they vote that way for so many different reasons but usually single issues near & dear to them as opposed to the big picture and the welfare of the country & the world.
Diane:
I, very much, enjoyed reading your comments and views of the appalling debacle of the important US Election that we have all just witnessed worldwide. At some point in that, I realised that you are American and you have witnessed it all on the ground in one way or another! I then enjoyed reading the small exchange between Glenda and you.
It seems to me that, at least in some ways obvious from your writing, you are of my heart. I can’t much hold back either. I get going and then I often don’t stop until I’ve said a great deal. I like that, but many don’t seem to.
On Sunday, just gone, I was in the home of an American Republican. He seems one of those proud-of-mostly-everything-that-they-have-done Republicans who out-and-out support Trump. Completely enigmatic to me, but there you have it! Anyway, and of course, he is one of those many who feel they have the right to say whatever they want in circumstances that some of us may be more reticent to express controversial matters (I do still retain a good deal of such reserve myself, despite major changes in this as I’ve aged). And, this is what he did. He literally began a rave, uninvited, about the recent outcome of President-Elect status Trump and what had gone into that. He repeated, as fact, many of the non evidence-based statements and claims that we have all heard, and then he got closer and closer to the gutter in his venom for Hillary Clinton. I just listened for about 10-15 minutes, thinking ‘just let it pass Maitland’, but then I didn’t! I spoke up. I tried my best to argue that words and what people say matter and these matter a great deal, that proof and evidence are primary and most often the only things we have to rely upon, that decency matters, that history is important (the best predictor of behaviour is past behaviour) and its status and interpretation must be determined by evidence and due analysis, and that Hillary Clinton had, if nothing else, demonstrated a consistent commitment to and practical involvement in social justice areas and principles while Donald Trump had not. It was hard going, to say the least. A lot of it went down like a lead balloon and I don’t know whether any of my points had much of an effect at all. What the experience did for me is that it showed me how very intractable people can be. The latest data shows that there are about 30% of people who never (ever) change their minds from beliefs that are shown to be illogical and without evidentiary backup. And, on top of that, we are now hearing of the concept of having entered a ‘post-truth era’.
Enough. In short, I think your response to Glenda’s timely blog is one of those reviews that should be added to the whole to obtain the full picture. Thanks for it. I think we all have things to say and things to offer to this new, emergent world state of affairs. And, I hope we all go on doing so!
Maitland Bowen.
Oh Maitland, trying to talk facts and reason with a Trump supporter? I had to give up on that after literally showing someone Trump video of saying one thing then another video denying what he said! You’d think it would be obvious but there was always some reason/excuse…”I was the one who misunderstood”. Not sure how old you are but we used to have the show called The Twilight Zone and at the beginning there was the creepy music w/Rod Sterling saying…”you are about to enter the twilight zone”.
Your comment about this person being “proud to be American” – well whenever I hear someone say that I always remember the late & great comedian George Carlin’s comments on this whole “Proud to be” thing. I don’t know your religion or personal beliefs so I hope you can take George’s rough humor and truly don’t mean to offend if it conflicts with your thoughts but I do laugh every time I see this fake pride, especially all our male politicians wearing their little American flag pins that are made in China! If you can handle Carlin’s language and blunt sense of humor:
I liked it, Diane. He says it, and he says it right. I posted it. Thanks for pointing.
His (ancestral) background overlaps and is similar to my own.
Love it Diane!!!!
Oh Glenda… Now, this deserves a very long, elaborated response… but then that may be regarded as inappropriate…
So, I will try a brief response:
I agree with a lot of what you say. I most liked your second last paragraph, though I outdated substitute ‘it is time’!
As written, when I don’t fully agree, I am in agreement with some of the direction or the spirit of the point you are making. Mainly, I believe that the myriad of factors that appear to contribute to outcomes or to the status quo are actually much more complex and are part of a more complete analysis. In isolation, the qualifications and the representations of those factors are at least partially misleading, and, for a degree of the population, incorrect on follow through. The Buy Australian idea, or the non-adherence to that idea, is a good example of this, but I’m making a general point too.
I also followed the US Election very closely and over a long time period, and I’ve read many reviews since the President-Elect result has overtaken us. But, there is always much more reading to do, because of the complexities and the importance of the matter, which are much more evident in the US to date compared to Australia for instance. Many of these reviews are disparate. Many are good. A decent, full analysis has not yet emerged. One of these good ones, though, I strongly recommend (I posted it on my Facebook page). I came across it via my following of Pandora Boxx, a drag queen, who provided a link to the author – Adrian Anchondo – who is a US actor. Adrian identifies with the LGBTIAQ community. I liked all these connections. The article is a specific review/opinion piece, directed at our community. That link is at:
I guess I went on a very long rant although I really didn’t want to hijack poor Glenda’s post either. I have got to tell you that although I’ve consumed more political commentary this past year than I have in my entire lifetime, I somehow missed the one you posted & I sincerely thank you for putting that one up there. It nailed it! Perfectly! Somehow the most qualified person to ever run for office got kicked to the curb over the most incompetent jackass to ever run for office – and to think he didn’t even want the job – all he wanted was the attention and promotion for his ‘brand’.
My husband had a few bruises after he made the comment that ‘there was something about Hillary that he didn’t trust’… really? How anyone can make that comment (and I heard it time & time again from all corners) yet listen to the orange buffoon vomit idiotic, insulting slogans I’ll never understand. To his credit though, my husband did without hesitation vote for Hillary & every day after hearing what the orange anus says & does, he walks around the house saying “F*ck him, just F*ck him”
Love it!
🙂 – me too
Hi Maitland. I am not on Facebook so I can’t open your link. I guess all I was trying to say is greed and apathy from all of us have contributed to his win. I was watching Q&A last night and Eric Abetz was saying that in the last election the Liberal Party lost votes to parties more right wing than them which justifies the Liberals moving right. The Left had better get moving.
If you just click on the title of the article by Adrian then that should get you there. Anyone can access FB, but then it depends on the individual’s privacy settings for their posts, which determines how far you get. Some people have these set on ‘public’, which means full access. The Adrian article is not on FB, it is a blog that was shared on FB later on.
Yes, I saw Q&A too. I agree ‘greed and apathy’ are much of the culprits and we all have a stake in that. I liked your blog. This morning, I also meant to say thanks for the blog. Eric Abetz is a massive dickhead. I really liked the aboriginal actor woman last night. She spoke up so well, and she put that Murdoch stooge in his place too.
Ah, I was clicking on the link rather than the title. All good now.
👍🏾
Which seat will you be running for Glenda in the next elections. We can do with a new WA Premier or will it be Prime Minister. You will get our vote.
Thanks, Anonymous. I thought about politics 30 years ago but decided it was not for me. Politicians need much thicker skin than I have. I like to be loved not hated.
Yes, me too, Glenda, and that’s partly why mainstream politics is the unweildly giant it is. It is prickly, unapproachable, destructive, and it keeps out the outsiders, the minorities and the marginals. But then, we can’t ignore it, it is completely essential for the way of our lives.
All great points Glenda. Now only if we can get the masses to stop watching those stupid TV shows that tell them that deplorable behaviour is acceptable and now think it can lead you to becoming a leader.
Don’t forget that Trump came from those same stupid reality shows & he still thinks he’s in one. Personally I feel like I’m in the middle of a very bad horror movie. My husband & I have both been talking about how now this type of behavior & campaigning is going to become the norm – merely entertaining instead of taking this with the seriousness it deserves.
The behavior we are now dealing with all over the country is horrible & frightening. The governor of NY just formed a special task force to combat the attacks against those who were targeted by Trump but it’s across the country, even in small rural areas. The divide is so great right now that there can’t be any kind of agreement or work toward common goals…we’re too far apart.
Totally agree, that’s what I was trying to intimate about those shows. Keep thinking it’s an April Fool joke and can’t possibly be correct!
I haven’t had a decent nights sleep since this started! Never mind since the election. Alas, I’m afraid that I just hijacked poor Glenda’s post with a very long rant…I could have gone on forever because there’s just so much wrong with what went on & why.
I think Walid Ali is doing his bit. He is a thinker and on commercial tv. People do seem to listen to him. I think he would be good in politics though he is not the best presenter in the world. I went to one of his speeches not long ago and he was as nervous as hell.
Yes, he is great.
Brava Glenda. I agree whole heartedly. Except i don’t include myself in any of your we statements.
And when i still worked i was proud to pay my full share of tax, contributing to roads schools and hospitals,as we should. I was in a great union, the reason why aussie workers are paid more than than americans, and i buy Australian products when available. Except parmesan cheese of course.
Nor I Francesca, though I do buy “Made in China”. You can’t avoid it these days. I have a rule with food. I only buy Australian made every day food items. Come the war, we need to be able to manufacture every day items. I don’t care where gourmet items come from. I can live without it if I need to. In the mean time I enjoy it. I was in the Public Service for years and always belonged to the union. I have little regard for those who took the benefits but didn’t pay their dues. In the legal profession there is no union and let me tell you, the conditions law firms make young lawyers work under is immoral.
That’s true. Mr T was a slave in a famous melbourne law firm, non unionised and exploited financially. He took the path of law lecturer and joined a union then, in reaction more to the unethical practices in law generally.
I am completely with you about buying cheap imported stuff – instead of one or two very good locally made pieces that might (if the locals make them well) last for years. And Now – it is so hard to find local. maybe you and I should source some of those locally made items – even christmas items – and let people know about them. Thank you for the shout out – we do not need to discuss politics when we are discussing ways each person can make things better. And we can make it better. The American system of politics is All about the president – this is its downfall. It needs to be about the local guy. The accessible woman – the person who actually represents my area. The people who do the actual work. A good piece – now back to our own work! c
Hi Cecilia
There are very few things made in Australia now. We are so lucky we had a mining boom as we did not suffer from the GFC like most other western countries. Our time will come though. I am so glad someone like Trump would have to jump over many more hoops to become the Australian Prime Minister. As I mentioned, we did have someone like him, he created his own party (in his name no less) but quickly faded as people began to see through his self centred rhetoric.